About

The Marshall Islands is considered to be among the most vulnerable countries to climate change. However, Marshallese people are not fully defined by climate change. People live their lives and pursue the things that are important to them, just like everywhere else. I want to help share the stories of Marshallese people and to support them in meeting their needs and pursuing their desires. Climate change and migration may be part of their stories, but those issues are not the whole story.

My name is David Krzesni. I am an author, educator, and aspiring photographer and film-maker. For many years, I have been concerned about the intersection of social and environmental problems and how climate change might exacerbate social injustice. In my work in education, I hoped to help prepare youth to face this growing crisis. I actually wrote a book about that! It’s called Pedagogy for Restoration: Addressing Social and Ecological Degradation through Education and you can check the website and blog related to my book here or find a copy on Amazon or a library.

Over time, I started to feel that for many people, generational solutions won’t come fast enough. For many, climate change is already threatening their livelihood. With that in mind, I decided to pursue a more direct approach. I went back to school for my PhD with the hope of increasing my ability to promote social change. Now, through the support of an early career grant from National Geographic Society, I have found the opportunity to spend a year in Marshall Islands to pursue those goals.